Jackson Drake remains in the WWE ID Program.
Last week was not particularly great for numerous NXT and Evolve talent as WWE released several notable names including Kylie Rae, Stevie Turner, and Wes Lee. In fact, WWE released so many talents from the ID Program that many wondered if the company opted to shut it down all together.
Well, that’s not the case for Jackson Drake as the Evolve Men’s Champion has reportedly renewed his deal with the promotion. Drake was one of the first signees of the ID Program and he captured the Evolve Championship in a four way match back in April. He has since defended the title three times, beating Timothy Thatcher, Lince Dorado, and Brooks Jensen and Keanu Carver in a three way match.
Drake has been wrestling for eight years. Before signing up to the WWE program, he had been fighting across the globe and it’s possible that you’ve seen Drake under some capacity as he has in-ring credits in AEW, NWA, House of Glory, Beyond Wrestling, and Game Changer Wrestling.
Drake's first WWE match was actually in 2023, but he was used as enhancement fodder for Indus Sher (Sanga & Veer) on Monday Night RAW. Most of his wrestling experience comes from competing in Fire Star Pro Wrestling. Thus far, Jackson has remained silent over his re-signing, though he is quite active on social media promoting Evolve as much as he can. There are a few more names under the WWE ID Program such as Timothy Thatcher, so it’s clear that WWE hasn’t given up on it just yet.
However, the reasoning behind WWE’s latest string of cuts is rather simple, WWE just didn’t feel that those developmental talents were progressing fast enough. At least according to Bryan Alvarez.
“WWE cuts were not budget related, they have over 130 people in developmental and hire more regularly. If you’re not progressing fast enough or they feel you don’t have what it takes for main roster, you’re out to make room for someone new."
Who will be the next to re-sign with WWE ID? We’ll find out in the coming weeks. Though given that Ridge Holland and Bryce Donovan were just released and there’s more cuts coming, there’s a likelihood that more names could end up in the unemployment section once this week is all said and done. As always, when more news drops about talent being released (or re-signed) then we’ll keep you updated on the situation.